GREAT FALLS — The West team has two future Montana Griz at QB, Helena's Kaden Hout and Hamilton's Tyson Rostad.
“We're just gonna do our thing. I think those guys are gonna rotate out on certain series, and, you know, they're good friends and get along. And I told them, you guys manage it yourselves. And you guys are gonna play the same amount of time. And they've done a good job of that. They know what they're doing. They know that this is an all-star game. They've each earned their right to play and so they're gonna go and do it themselves. And it'll be great,” West head coach Bryce Carver said.
Carver was also Rostad's coach at Hamilton. Together they put together an undefeated 2021 season and a Class A state football championship. The West team will be using Hamilton's offensive playbook come Saturday's game.
"They have a great offense over at Hamilton. They've been a huge help helped me out, getting ready for the game, learning all the tricks they do all the reads and stuff like that. So yeah, it's been really fun," Hout said.
In D1 quarterback fashion, learning the playbook was a breeze for Hout.
"He absorbed everything really, really well. He's really good at being coachable with Coach Carver and everything. And we've had fun with practice. And he just kind of got to see a little insight of what we do down in Hamilton. And within the first practice or two, he pretty much got everything," Rostad said.
Hout is known for his cannon of an arm. He was the top-ranked recruit in the state of Montana and penned himself in the Helena High record in career offensive yardage and passing TDs, with 6,977 and 61.
Rostad is known for his speed and agility. Not only is he a solid QB, but wide receiver, and safety. He passed for over 2,000 yards and 27 TDs as a senior, as well as 18 rushing TDs in 2021. In the state championship game, Rostad rushed for 228 yards and three TDs in the Broncs' 21-7 win.
"Ya know, coming in with our offense, you kind of learn a little bit about what we do down in Hamilton and me and him. I've just really got to know each other. And I think it's really good combo with him being able to pass and still run and me to be able to run the rock, get a couple yards if we need to. But yeah, we really just got along and playing next year with each other just gonna be really fun," Rostad said.
"He loves to run it. But he can also throw pretty well. And it's been fun playing with him. We thrive off each other. We we we pick each other up when we were when we're down and stuff. But yeah, it's been fun. I can't wait to be a teammate with him next year at the Griz," Hout added.
Carver, a former Griz football alum himself, hopes his QBs take away important lessons from playing under him.
"First and foremost, I want them to be good people. I want them to be successful off the field in the classroom, out in the community. And then you know, going into the into the team, you know, they gotta go work hard and you know strive to be leaders and work hard every day get better every day and when their opportunity comes to get on the field and make plays they need to go do that.”